Sega / Sports Interactive / FM18

A match made in heaven (a potholed pitch in Eltham)

We paired a much loved computer game with our much loved grassroots show to create the most talked about branded content series of the season.

The Brief

Sports Interactive wanted to inspire a new generation of football managers for the release of the latest edition of their well known Football Manager title. They asked for an idea that integrated naturally with the YouTube ‘creator’ football scene using relatable, authentic Social Video to capture the excitement of playing the game and showcase the latest in-game features and graphics.

Our Idea

We came up with the idea of integrating Football Manager 2018's gameplay visuals and experiences into our existing and hugely popular Park Life YouTube format. Park Life follows the Sunday League journey of Eltham SF and delivers grassroots football at its best and funniest. We offered up a month long FM18 takeover that was visually compelling, relatable and big on authenticity. We followed our Sunday League heroes on four consecutive fixtures, emblazoned their kits with the game logo, and created a whole host of content including touchline Instagram stories at the matches, and Facebook-friendly meme compilations - Top Ten Filthy Tackles anyone? We integrated the ATL campaign’s 'Like a Boss' slogan to ensure the messaging was joined up across all channels.

Results

The series delivered over 700k views on YouTube, an average watch time of 50% and a positive sentiment of 97% (likes v dislikes), generating debate and discussion around the show. Overall we generated positive sentiment across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, engaging a new audience with the Football Manager series. The game proved a perfect fit with our owned and operated Slash Football channel, creatively and strategically. In a truly audience first way we took feedback from our viewers (it was their favourite show, after all) and tweaked the brand integrations week by week. Want less commentary? We’ll give you less commentary. Want more drone action of the game? Our drone pilot is at the ready! One of the beauties of Social Video is the way we can listen to feedback from our audience and act on it.